Doing “a thing”, non-dualism and Jalebis
Podcasts, time travel, spirituality and food
A few quick thoughts that mixed together from this weekend.
I will start from this morning, and then go back to Saturday.
Podcast
This afternoon I was listening to a podcast interview given by Jaime Hoerricks, someone I read and listen to regularly via their AutSide blog/podcast.
This was an episode: Part 3 of 3 Series - Insights from the Lived Experience of an Autistic Gestalt Processor: A Discussion with Dr. Jaime Hoerricks - Uniquely Human: The Podcast
When Jaime announced it they said “So I Did A Thing”, which as someone who in recent years found other parts of the Autistic Community, I now know what “A Thing” is.
During the conversation, Jaime discussed gestalt memory. It is like changing the “now” and describing the different “now”. That it isn’t some distant abstracted memory that comes back, but everything: smells, temperature ,etc. Jaime also discusses how it is sometimes overwhelming to have more than one “now” in the brain at the same time.
While I turn 58 next week, I am still learning who I am. Part of that has been listening to Jaime, as someone who is aware that they are Autistic and have a Gestalt mind. Am I also Gestalt? I was certain in the past that I was not, but now I’m less certain.
Puja
All week I was looking forward to Saturday, as I would be taking my first visit to the physical location used by the Vedanta Society of Ottawa. While I had attended some online scripture classes since I recognized my interest, this was my first in-person visit. On Saturday was the Sri Ramakrisha Birthday Celebration.
I would be there, as well as my father-in-law and mother-in-law, at a community event with people who knew my in-laws well. While this was my first in-person interaction with this community, my wife and I are already well-known as part of the family.
My father-in-law has had connections with the Ramakrishna Mission from a young age, including them helping fund his education when he was younger. On my first trip to India I even stayed a few nights at the Guest House of the The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kolkata.
It was only recently that I recognized my interest in learning more about South Asian spirituality, and non-dualism in particular
After a more formal event, with chanting, meditation, singing and a reading specifically relevant to the birthday event (read by a family friend, also the person that drove my father-in-law and I to the event), there was socializing around food.
I was wandering around, and found a big container of jalebis. My mind went back to a specific time, but only for a short moment.
Then a close family friend spoke to me, and I couldn’t help but tell them where my mind had gone.
I was back in January 1998, specifically in the morning after staying at a hotel in Jaipur. We had places to be, so no real time to get a regular meal, so for this one time my mother-in-law allowed us to do street vendor food. My other street-vendor food was without her knowing – she was being very protective of her very recent son-in-law, with it only being the two of us travelling, and me having only married her daughter less than a year and a half earlier in August 1997.
Breakfast was some extremely fresh hot (freshly cooked and very spicy) samosas, and julebis.
As I told the story, I recognized emotions growing that I have come to recognize. If not contained I might get overwhelmed, as I was both there at the Vedanta Society of Ottawa event and a 30 year old with my 60 year old mother-in-law on a Jaipur morning. The mixtures of visuals and emotions were growing. My eyes had already started to tear up.
It is a wonderful experience, but one I need to contain a bit when in public, as losing the linear “now” because your mind is in a different “now” is not as socially acceptable as I wish it were.
Even as I type this, I have a series of time periods all floating around. But at least I am not in public as I type this, so no need to mask.